…Those memorable 60 days!!!

This post has been selected by Blogadda as the best post in their "Spicy Saturday Picks" column..Thanks a lot!

One of my blog friend has made this story into a short film.You can check the video after reading the story @ http://mumbaiwarriors.blogspot.com/2010/06/online-friend.html

This is just another fictional story.Characters and incidents used here are just fictitious and not intended to offend anyone! So let’s get started now!

It was a foggy Saturday morning and the sun was lazy to rise,so was I to get up from my bed.Somehow I got up,by 8:15, after my mom seriously threatened me that she will give my breakfast to Tinku! After brushing and having my breakfast,I sat in front of my computer.I was,of late,fascinated by these virtual friendships,as my friends keep speaking about the beauty of having such a friend! I wanted to give it a try and as it was a holiday,I logged into my Yahoo messenger chat rooms-The Holy land of perverts! I havn’t done much of online chatting before,as I had no time or no interest in this!But today I was..! My instincts kept on saying that I will end up with a good online friend today!

As soon as I entered the chat room, a message popped up on my screen which invited me to view the webcams of some pretty gals! My dirty mind started to work and I was amazed by the genorosity of these girls,who voluntarily invited me to see them strip off ! Gracious indeed :D..But before I could get real horny,I understood it was just a spam :D Smiling to myself,I waited to see if someone was interested to chat with me.At that moment of destiny,I got a message from presumably a girl,who wished me good morning and started a chat! Yeah,..I was right,she was a Chennai girl-Meera,an engineer,who like any other girl was mad about dogs!

Somehow,she added me as her friend before she went offline.We just chatted for 10 minutes,but it was so lively,atleast lively for me,for that was my first proper chat online. As I got one friend for the day,I too logged off pretty soon! The weekend flew so fast,that I even forgot I made a virtual friend.When I came to check my mails on Sunday night,she was there,reminding me of the friendship I made! As I had to sleep soon,that night,I told her that I will chat with her tomorrow,after I come back from work.She obliged! You would not believe me,I was excited when I was returning back from work,the next day.I was thinking if she would be there online,what should I speak with her?? It was an unusual thought,which sparked in my mind that day, as I never had a virtual friend before. When I logged in,to my surprise,she was there!

She said she was waiting for me so long.Now I had to believe that! I apologized for making her wait and then started to chat.It was about how the day went,bla bla.. She had so many topics to chat,as I never found the converstaion boring! In an over-enthusiasm,I shared my picture and I guess she liked those. She did not share her picture,though! The chat lasted for more than 3 hours,before which she realised it was so late ;-) I was getting sort-of-addicted to chatting with Meera,as we continued to chat almost every day and with every passing day,we became very close.I must confess Meera has gracefully walked into my life,now!One day,she even revealed she had a big liking towards my french beard! **wink** After lots of coaxing,she gave me her mobile number.I was happy,as I knew for sure,she trusted me!

It was almost a fortnight,since we became friends and now,I felt I must call her and I did. Words just fall short explaining the excitement,relief and the happiness that engulfed me when I dialled her number and waited for her to attend. When she attended the call I said,”This is Benny”.There was a stunned silence from the other end for some 10 seconds,before which a big laugh broke the silence as she quipped,”So this is Meera. Atlast you dared to call me. I havn’t spoken to any of my virtual friends till date”. Those words made me feel special.She,as usual started to speak on every topic-lifestyle,culture,career,romance etc..etc… Her voice sounded very girlish and I was afraid if I would be the first guy to fall in love with a girl,just hearing her voice! I have this dubious record to boast of,for the longest call I have ever made is for 5 minutes.If it exceeded that, the only words which comes from my mouth is “Hmm..Hmmm..then” Honestly I have always felt I needed someone to teach me how to speak over a phone and now, Meera was there to teach me and break all my records,as the time I spend over the phone increased like a geometric progression in Mathematics,so did my phone bill ;-) Suddenly our chats online,became rare,as we were over the phone most of the time!

I must acknowledge,I was changing! She made me read novels,for she loved it…For a pathetic reader like me,finishing two novels in a week is a big thing. She made me speak..speak something and she made me laugh at the her silly jokes,which never sounded like a joke to me,two weeks ago;-) She gave me the feel,that I was looking smart,praising my french beards and my looks, everytime we spoke.My mirror became my best friend,as I spend the whole night looking at my “smart” face and doing something to my french beard! I’m just happy these mirrors don’t have mouths! :P I smiled involuntarily when her name flashed on my mobile! And there was that irresistable excitement,when I took my mobile to call her! Yeah..I’m changing! My friends started to see that change and often commented that I’m infected by “that” virus,which is so dangerous than H1N1.. Hope you guys know “that” virus I’m referring to ;-)

It was tough to dream about a girl,whom you have never seen and have no idea how she looks! Meera made it very clear that she was not going to send me her picture,as she told me to wait for that day,when we will meet in reality! It was 28 days since we knew each other and now I was asked to go to Hyderabad for my new job’s training! Thankfully,the training was just for a week.I told Meera,the same and told her that I will contact her after a week,as I knew the training was going to be tough and I will have no time to speak with her! She accepted not to disturb me the whole week!

The one week at Hyderabad was so demanding,but that did not deter me from thinking about her.I called her on alternate days and spoke for few minutes.I felt,she was not well,as her voice revealed that and she was in no mood to speak with me properly! I hated that..She acted differently the whole week and this puzzled me.After I reached home,after my training,I called her as I usually do at night and she was in a pensive mood. I havn’t heard Meera speaking so seriously and I wanted to make her smile! I did it and when she was smiling,I asked her,”So when will I meet u?” “Don’t worry.You will meet me before I die” she said and smiled.”Oh..That will take years.I can’t wait that long”,I said in a raised tone.”Well I understand.So now tell me the Meera you have imagined?” she asked me politely.I started,”Well you are quite literally my dream girl.I have dreamt of a Meera, like an angel,claded in a white dress,with a cherub face,pink cheeks,cute smile,long hairs and ofcourse beautiful in my eyes”. “Ha! That’s too much Benny.But I’m sure you won’t be cheated when you see me” and laughed! She then started to speak about her dream guy,her dreams,aspirations!! I said,” Meera,you are really ambitious.I wish all your dreams come true”.She smiled and said,”Thanks.But Benny,do you think I’m lucky enough?” I quipped,”If you weren’t lucky enough,you wouldn’t have ended up with me”.She smiled and said as usual,”Ha..This is too much Benny” and getting emotional she opined she was having the best moments of her life with me and that I was the best guy,with whom she has ever acquainted with! It was already 1’o clock and I was feeling asleep! I told her I was going to bed.She said,”Do you really wanna sleep.I want to talk with you..keep on talking.I feel comfortable speaking with you”.But I insisted that I had to get up early tomorrow and I went to bed.

“It’s hard to let go off someone who had touched your life;
But it hurts more to let go off someone who was never yours,yet changed your life the most”

Must watch for the guys who were in love and who are in love!!!

Caution: The film is a sincere effort to please audiences who appreciate good cinema which is genuine and realistic in its own ways! And if are a person ,who enjoy only slapstick comedies or a voyeur,whose jaws open involuntarily seeing cleavages or a guy who wants a fast track or an action sequence in the film,then better avoid this Cheran’s beautiful venture,as this film has nothing commercial in it and you may be cheated.

Well now,when I say Pokisham[treasure in english] is a real treasure for tamil cinema,I mean it! Cheran,in his usual self brings the fresh air,which the tamil audiences badly needed,with a genuine and an honest movie! As always you see in a Cheran’s film,Pokisham is also an amalgam of romance,sentiments,unexpected twists and ofcourse perfect casting,who makes the film sound very realistic! The film starts with Lenin’s(Cheran) son checking his bereaved father’s diary and his collection of umpteen love letters,as the time descends back to 1970’s. Lenin is a marine engineer based at Calcutta. He visits Madras to help his father,who has undergone a surgery.There at the hospital,he meets Nadhira(Padmapriya),a Muslim and a BA student studying at Nagore.Their wavelength matches and they are friends soon.When Lenin departs to Calcutta to rejoin his work,he suddenly misses her very badly and develops that special feeling for Nadhira.They exchange their interests and feelings through letters. The beauty of yesteryear romance,where communication was only through letters, is superbly depicted by the lead pair~the enthusiasm with which they write those letters,the long wait to receive the response and the pain if the letter is delayed is genuinely portrayed! Eventually their friendship morphes into love! The climax,with interesting twists and turns,reveals if they both finally get married or not.

Cheran as Lenin,has done a commendable job.His reputation as a “Yedhardha Nayagan”(Natural actor) keeps increasing with every movie.His looks perfectly fit a 1970’s gentleman.The scenes where he keeps pesturing the postman to check if he has any letters, brings the roofs down! His acting in the climax,where he goes on the search to find Nadhira,showcases him as a perfect “Yedhardha Nayagan”. Padmapriya-Oh My Gal!!! She has done wonders to the film.The smile and looks perfectly fit Padmapriya as Nadhira, a muslim girl.What a casting that was,Mr.Cheran??? Good job!!! Guys,trust me,Watch the movie for Padmapriya alone,if you want!

The cameraman needs applause,so does the art director-Vairabalan.They have worked hand in hand to give that 1970’s looks to the movie.Starting from the houses..the vehicles used, their dressing sense,currencies,envelopes,stamps gives us the perfect period looks for the film!!! The choice of location-Calcutta and Nagore and using sea as the backdrop with storm,breeze as the catalyst,the cameraman has succeded in his experiments big time! The biggest let down of the movie must be the music by Sabesh-Murali.Cheran uses songs as the element to drive his story forward,but it has fell flat,sadly! I doubt if the music directors struck a deal with the canteen stall owners ;-)

The first half is a tad slower, and keeps testing the audience’s patience,but the unadulterated romance keeps it going.The second half keeps on dragging unnecessarily and some trimming is needed.The dialogues are too verbose and philosophical,which I don’t think will go well with the urban class of audience! But every dialogue is meaningful,if keenly observed! No double entendre or a separate comedy track ! The movie is clean,beautiful and an expression of genuine romantic feeling.Special credits to Cheran for not using any commercial "masala" elements in his film and trusting only his story and his characters!As always,Cheran urges every one to get into his shoes to feel the value of his character and I’m sure atleast one scene will relate with you!

I reiterate Pokisham is a real treasure for tamil cinema,but I never said it is a paisa vasool! It deserves to do brisk business,but I doubt if today’s audience are patient enough to see this Pokisham unearthed! I mean,in today's world of instant communication,when a guy,even SMS his proposal to a girl, the viewers may be baffled and bored with the lead pair's love letter writing and the trouble they undertook.Had,Cheran made it more pacy and racy, Pokkisham would have been more touchy.Although,this film comes as a real test to the maturity of urban audience in their ability to accept meaningful films! I don’t see Cheran changing his style of directing,it has to be the audience who must mature themself to cherish such wonderful movies with genuine acting,pleasant screenplay,mind-blowing camerawork and encourage them in the making of many more Pokishams in the years to come!

Well done Mr.Cheran!!! Hats off !! U r our Pokisham indeed !

….Really unrealistic!!!

This story has not happened in my life, has not happened in anyone’s life,will never happen in anyone’s life also.But I’m sure at the end of the story everyone will wish why not this happen in our life ;-) So Let’s get started! And yeah.. if u possess a very brilliant,realistic or a skeptical mind please keep it aside for sometime and then start reading!

When was the last time you saw a girl and wondered, “Hey I have seen her somewhere..who is she?” and crushed your brain cells. It happened to me the last week when I was waiting to board the train at Bangalore station on my journey back to Chennai.It was 10:35PM and the awesome chill weather of Bangalore was having its say on her dressing.She was wearing a white sweater with a striking black jean and was shivering,waiting for the train.Holding her ipod on one hand,shuffling the songs,her ears were plugged with the headsets.She was holding a woman’s magazine in the other hand,though she never bothered to even open that,till then! She occasionally kissed her fist and that mannerism again reminded me of someone.I gave it a hard thought,but I wasn’t able to recognize her.She had all the features that kept me warm in that cold night ;-) I checked my watch and I was assured there was 20 minutes left for the train to arrive and I continued to ogle.At one moment she caught my eyes and I felt damn embarrased and I took an about turn,as if I was searching for someone else ! I moved away from the place for a few minutes just to avoid her.By the time I finished a cup of tea,I saw my train enter the platform.

When I returned to the place I saw her,to my surprise,she wasn’t there.My eyes kept searching for her,as I entered the coach and got settled in the seat reserved for me. I was not able to find her and I was convinced yet another cloud has passed! But suddenly through the window,I saw her..saw her in the waiting room being laid and a few people crowded around her.Shocked,I got out of the train and went near the room,where she was nursed.By the time I went there,she had recovered.She got up and was gazing at everyone.Somewhere inside the heart I felt relieved!!! I got back to my seat and the train was about to start.To my nightmare she came and sat in the seat opposite to me! Oh My God! I felt very guilty and crashed into the upper berth and tried to sleep. I pondered,atleast I must have asked how she was feeling now,out of courtesy! :-( But I wasn’t able to! I tried to sleep but only her face kept running through my mind ! I looked down at her through my half-dozed eyes.She was still sitting,contemplating ! May be about what happened to her in the station! It was half past 12 and I was fast asleep by then!

I slept so badly that I did not even realise that the train had reached Chennai Central.I was woken up by someone and then did I realise I had to get down! Very fast I did my silent prayer,took my baggage and got down the train.Chennai was as usual bright and it was 2 months since I came home and I was excited to be here again! As soon as I got down,there was a surprise.She was standing there,smiling at me!Only now I recognised the face which woke me up in the train.I went near her and said “Thanks”. “It’s ok.You must have been tired” she replied as her voice again sounded like someone’s whom I know very well.Without thinking much I asked,”So how are you feeling now?What happened yesterday?” .She continued to walk along with me,keeping her smile intact and replied “I fainted seeing you”.Knowing that she was kidding I sardonically said “My friends say I have killer looks,but this is too much!” She started to laugh that drew the attention of a couple of children sitting there.They winked at me and I reciprocated! I partially understood why the wink was from those cute children. Yeah..The girl walking with me was so graceful and smart that even those children understood she is too much for me! ;-) But poor children! They din’t know she was just my co-passenger and still a stranger!

Hmm..by now,she finished laughing and said,”No.I’m serious Rahul” . ”Rahul??”…”Who is that?” I interrogated. “You” she said as we kept walking to catch our connecting train to reach our destination! “No yaar. I’m Benny” I clarified.She shook her head in disapproval and quizzed me,”Do you believe in rebirths?” The next moment,without much thought I said “No..no…I don’t ” She looked straight into my eyes and said “I too did not believe in rebirths before I saw your face yesterday night”. She sounded serious now and a sense of shock crept within me as I feared if I,really,was the reason for her fainting yesterday night.I trembled and asked ,”What did you see in my face”?

We did not speak for few minutes as we got the connecting train to reach our respective places.It was early morning in Chennai and the train was unusually calm and sparsely crowded.We sat facing each other near the window! I suddenly noticed a mole beneath her nose..no no above her lips ;-) It has always been a turn-on factor for me when I see a girl! As I was admiring her,she started revealing, “Hey...I saw my boyfriend’s face in you..the same face and the same guy whom I loved in my previous birth!” I was shocked but din’t want to show it as I replied,” So are you ok??? You sound senseless now”? She acknowledged,”Ya.I know.But u must believe this” as she showed a scar in her left hand.Getting excited seeing that I quipped,”Same pinch..even I have one” and showed my scar in the left hand.She quizzed, ”Shut up You!..Do you know the history behind this?” “….Hmmm.I always ask my mother about this.But she says it is there from my birth and she can’t help it!” I mumbled.

She cleared her throat and started ”Oh..How come she know our past?”. I was excited as she sounded as if she really knew my past and said ”Past…So do u know mine?” She nodded and said “Your past was with me.How come I don’t know that?” and continued “ I seriously remember a few moments I spend with you in my last birth.You were my close friend during my college time.We spend most of our times together at college,walking with hands locked,helping me out at everything,fighting with me..even for the silliest thing…Hmmm we showcased to the world what true friendship is.I just get a blurred vision of what happened next.It is like… you proposed to me one day and I started crying and after so many days I accepted you as my boyfriend. And I’m not sure what happened inbetween.Just remember we engraved our names in our hands,which are these scars in this birth and we ended our life”..”Now do u remember anything?” she politely asked.”Hmm..Yeah I can remember!This is the same story of the latest tamil flick I watched” I joked trying to bring down the over running emotion from her side!

She hit my head and said,”Rubbish..trust me Rahul”… I got serious hearing Rahul ”Please call me Benny.I don’t know Rahul or the stories you are telling.Hey how come you,alone, remember all the things that happened in your previous birth” I asked in a irritated voice…She seeing me serious,quipped,”I have read in one of Plato’s work that after our death in our previous birth,our soul passes through a hot desert and then it drinks water from the lake nearby.By drinking that water,we forget what happened in our previous birth.May be I cheated the Gods’ and din’t drink that water”.” You cheat!” I teased her.Laughing for that she started,”Hey the moment I saw you in the station yesterday I fainted as my memories took me to my previous birth.I saw a life with you in those few moments! That is what I told you now.After I woke up,I searched for you in the station,but you were’nt there.I was more shocked than you when I saw you in my coach! When you climbed to the upper berth I saw the scar in your hand which confirmed you are my Rahul”!

She was almost in tears by this time and it was time I start trusting her memories as even I had the same thought when I saw her,when I heard her voice..as if I had a relation with her! She kissed her fist involuntarily(you see it is her mannerism that attracts her to me) and was contemplating.After being numb for sometime she asked,”Did you notice the mole beneath my nose?” “ Do u feel something seeing me kiss my fist?” These words jolted me and all of a sudden I started fearing the worst.I asked,”Are you a mind reader?” She was delirious,”So these things still excites you?..Haa??” I trembled again in my words,” what do you mean by ‘still excites me’?” In a pure girlish tone,she replied “ Rahul…these excites you in your previous birth too..” My inner voice said “Ayoo Benny you have not yet changed man!” and I blushed!!!

It was hard to actually believe in rebirths and at the same time it was hard not to believe after all this! She was silent for some time,which gave me time to think what was happening all this while? I was puzzled at her making so many attempts to make me realise that I was her boyfriend the last birth.What was she going to achieve in this birth through that? I just felt I must understand her feelings and give her some time to get back to reality. If she is very clear in her thoughts,well then I have a beautiful girlfriend waiting,or else it is just another passing cloud! A typical boyish decision!!

“So where must you get down?” she enquired atlast.I revealed that we passed the station,where I had to get down and that I’m coming along with her to drop her at her house.”So you thought I have gone mad na” she bantered!!! Her smile has always been her forte and I have already started to fall in love with her. So it is time to start flirting as I replied “No..I’m just wondering how I ended up with you in this birth also” “Oieee..” she said in an excited tone and started laughing! Atlast I asked “Hey you..whats your name?” She continued to smile and winked as she quipped,”So now…you want my previous birth name or this births? “ ;-) We smiled and the smiles lasted for eternity as in her words the life,which we ended abruptly in our previous birth continued here on earth!